UF men's basketball up to No. 10

Published: Monday, January 6, 2014 at 1:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 6, 2014 at 1:02 p.m.

Florida will begin Southeastern Conference play a Top-10 team.

The Gators moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll.

Florida (11-2) began the season at No. 10 in the country, but dropped to as low as No. 19 following a 65-64 loss at Connecticut on Dec. 2. Since then, the Gators have won five straight to work their way back up the rankings.

The Gators open league play Wednesday at the O’Connell Center against South Carolina. Florida has won 23 straight at home, one shy of the school record of 24 from March 1, 2006 to Nov. 28, 2007.

In the preseason, Donovan said he didn’t think his team was worthy of a top-10 ranking. But his feelings have changed after Florida weathered a challenging non-conference schedule that included wins over Florida State, Kansas and Memphis.

“I think we’re a better team,” Donovan said. “I don’t know where we should be ranked at this point in time. I haven’t seen everybody in the country play, I think we’ve played some very, very good teams.”

<p>Florida will begin Southeastern Conference play a Top-10 team.</p><p>The Gators moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week's AP Top 25 men's basketball poll.</p><p>Florida (11-2) began the season at No. 10 in the country, but dropped to as low as No. 19 following a 65-64 loss at Connecticut on Dec. 2. Since then, the Gators have won five straight to work their way back up the rankings.</p><p>The Gators open league play Wednesday at the O'Connell Center against South Carolina. Florida has won 23 straight at home, one shy of the school record of 24 from March 1, 2006 to Nov. 28, 2007.</p><p>In the preseason, Donovan said he didn't think his team was worthy of a top-10 ranking. But his feelings have changed after Florida weathered a challenging non-conference schedule that included wins over Florida State, Kansas and Memphis.</p><p>“I think we're a better team,” Donovan said. “I don't know where we should be ranked at this point in time. I haven't seen everybody in the country play, I think we've played some very, very good teams.”</p>